


Haiku no Rurouni Kenshin

by SonjaJade



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-14
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-07 17:47:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 3,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/433754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonjaJade/pseuds/SonjaJade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I started writing various little haiku poems in regards to the Kenshin fandom because it just felt right for me to write it that way. I wanted to share all the ones I've written in a little collection. The first one I wrote in response to some InuYasha haiku I'd written. I was then inspired this past Christmas to write more of them for an LJ community I belong to called 12 Days of Ficmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Haiku no Rurouni Kenshin

* * *

_Kenshin_

He wanders, doing  
Good for others on his road,  
Running from his past.

Blood stains his strong hands…  
Stains his heart, his soul, his mind.  
It won't wash away.

His scars are many.  
They crisscross his skin in streaks  
Of pink and silver.

But those are the scars  
That are painless. The ones that  
Hurt are in his mind.

Husbands, fathers, sons…  
So many dead by his hands.  
Even his own wife.

He hopes to atone  
For his sins with redemption  
Through the reversed blade.

He's made a vow to  
Never kill again, ever.  
That promise he'll keep.

* * *

_Sanosuke_

I'm as bad as they  
Come, baby. Wanna try me?  
I'll fight… For a price.

Money, sake, sex…  
Mine, for a little effort.  
C'mon, let's do this!

That used to be me…  
Back before I met Kenshin.  
Now I'm a changed man.

My weapon is gone,  
I fight for those I love now.  
My heart guides my fists.

Sure, I'm still a bum,  
A gambler and a deadbeat.  
I'm just not a punk.

* * *

_Kaoru_

A raven haired girl  
Swings a _boken_ gracefully.  
She could be deadly…

Though she practices  
The art of murder and pain,  
She'll _never_ draw blood.

A blade can kill, but  
That's not why you hold a sword.  
It should shield and guard.

Kenshin says that's false,  
That being a swordsman is  
Being a killer.

She says you can kill  
A man with a blunt object  
Just as easily,

That a tea kettle  
Is just as deadly when it's  
Wielded the right way.

Therefore, couldn't a  
Sword be used in a way that's  
Completely harmless?

Her logic breaks him,  
Showing him a new way to  
Atone for his sins.

It is for this that  
He first comes to love Kaoru.  
He stops wandering.


	2. Haiku no Fuyu

**Title:** Haiku no Fuyu (Winter Haiku)  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Kenshin/Kaoru, Sanosuke, Yahiko, Aoshi/Misao  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Summary/Teaser:** Various haiku poems with winter themes  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** 229

* * *

Kenshin watches her,  
Enthralled as she smiles into  
The freezing cold wind.

Kaoru is vivid  
Compared to the white snowflakes.  
Stunning; beautiful…

"I love when it snows!"  
She laughs as she chases the  
Flurries with her mouth.

He watches as she  
Twirls; belly swollen with child…  
 _Their_ child _…_ _His and hers…_

Kaoru squeals again,  
Joy incarnate. Kenshin grins.  
"I love the snow, too."

* * *

Sanosuke shivers  
Under his thin blanket and  
Pines for summer's warmth.

His teeth chatter and  
He hates that he's powerless  
Against the season.

He remembers heat,  
Humidity and the feel  
Of sweat on his back,

And he wishes that  
A sticky thunderstorm would  
Come instead of snow.

"Sano?" Yahiko  
Asks as he pokes his head through  
The apartment door.

"Kenshin said you should  
Come stay with us until it  
Warms up a little."

He raises his head  
And grins at him. It's funny  
How warm words can be…

* * *

Hot, cold, in between:  
Aoshi and Misao train hard.  
Today they're sparring.

Aoshi is bigger,  
But he won't hold back for her;  
Her enemies won't.

She uses her size  
To her advantage, ducking,  
Weaving and striking.

Misao lands a punch,  
Aoshi counters with a kick…  
On and on they go.

When they are finished  
They head to the bathhouse, hand  
In hand together.

No one wonders why  
They spend as much time bathing  
As they do training…


	3. Haiku no Shogatsu

**Title:** Haiku no Shogatsu (New Year's Haiku)  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Kenshin/Kaoru, Kenji, Sano/Megumi, Yahiko  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Summary/Teaser:** Kenshin discovers that one doesn't need to be blood related to someone in order to call them family, and he finds a precious gift hidden in the camaraderie of the New Year's Day feast.  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** 179  
 **Author's Notes:** This may be short, but it is incredibly powerful for Kenshin, and I literally cried with happiness while writing the last part.

* * *

The once assassin  
Smiles at the sight around him.  
 _This_ is happiness.

He is surrounded  
By family, friends, and love.  
 _This_ is truly peace.

His wife and son laugh  
Together, their eyes shine like  
Stars… _This_ is true joy.

His best friend, Sano,  
Pats his wife's belly, laughing  
Too. _This_ is good cheer.

Megumi tells the  
Rest of the story, smiling  
Wide. _This_ is true fun.

Yahiko spits rice,  
Nearly choking with laughter.  
 _This_ is merriment.

In the faces that  
Surround him, none judge his past…  
 _This_ is redemption.

This group of mismatched  
People are his dearest kin.  
 _This_ is family.

The weight of his sins  
Is all but gone, thanks to them…  
 _This_ is acceptance.

He bites back tears at  
The sudden realization:  
 _ **This is forgiveness.**_

"Kenshin? You okay?"  
Sanosuke asks his buddy  
In a worried tone.

Kenshin nods, looks up,  
And says, "Thank you for coming  
Today, everyone.

"I'm glad we could spend  
The holiday together,  
That I am." Tears fall…

Arms envelop him  
As he cries. No one asks him  
To stop. _This is love._


	4. What's in a Name?

**Title:** What’s in a Name?  
**Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
**Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
**Characters/Pairings:** Kenshin/Kaoru (mentions of Kenji :3)  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series by Nobuhiro Watsuki  
**Summary/Teaser:** The age old conversation of what to name the baby if it’s a boy and if it’s a girl.  
**Rating:** G  
**Word Count:** 184  
**Author’s Notes:** I have found my favorite way to write Rurouni Kenshin is through verses of haiku.  They’re usually not very long, but I think they pack a punch (right in the feels XD)

 

It’s cold outside, but  
In their futon, it is warm.  
Kaoru cuddles close.

Wind rattles the doors.  
“Are you cold?” Kenshin asks her.  
He pulls her closer.

“I’m fine,” she insists.  
The baby inside her moves-  
“ _We’re_ fine,” she giggles.

Kenshin chuckles as  
His hand rests on her belly.  
“Must want attention.”

“Have you thought about  
What we should name this baby?”  
Kaoru asks, yawning.

“Sano wants us to  
Name it after him,” he grins  
Kaoru shakes her head.

She touches his hand.  
“What do you think of Kenji  
For a boy?” she asks.

“I like that a lot.  
I was thinking of Junko  
For a girl,” he says.

Kaoru winced. “I don’t  
Think I like that one, sorry.  
What about Maki?”

Kenshin laughs loudly  
“Too close to Makimachi!”  
His wife understands.

Kaoru wracks her brain.  
“Himura Kazumi has  
A nice ring to it…”

“Maybe we should wait  
‘til we meet our little one  
Before we decide.”

Cold wind gusts again.  
Kaoru sighs, “Maybe you’re right.”  
The babe inside stirs.

“Settle down, baby!”  
She yawns, drifting off to sleep.  
She’ll dream of a son.


	5. Let Sleeping Mothers Lie

**Title:** Let Sleeping Mothers Lie  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Kenshin/Kaoru, Kenji, Yahiko  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series by Nobuhiro Watsuki  
 **Summary/Teaser:** Kenji’s only a few weeks old, and sleep deprivation is getting the best of the Kamiya school’s residents.  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** 203

 

The child in his arms  
Is so tiny and fragile…  
The infant whimpers.

“Shh, shh.  It’s okay,”  
Kenshin whispers quietly.  
“Kaa-san needs her rest.”

Kaoru’s exhausted.  
Nursing every three hours  
Is hard on them both.

Kenji settles down  
And snuggles into his warm  
Swaddling, yawning.

“That’s it, little one,  
Go back to sleep for me, please.”  
He rocks him gently.

It doesn’t take long  
And Kenji is fast asleep.  
Kenshin thanks the gods.

He lays his son in  
His wicker cradle slowly.  
Kenji softly snores.

Kaoru’s snoring too.  
Kenshin smiles at their sounds.  Soon  
He’s snoring as well.

**********************************

Yahiko listens close.  
He knows they’ve woken again  
And he says a prayer.

He can’t imagine  
How they’ll function tomorrow  
On such little sleep.

But then he thinks of  
Tsubame and how he wants  
A family with her…

Kenshin and Kaoru  
Love each other a lot and  
They will find a way.

He thinks he has that  
Kind of relationship with  
Tsubame…  He smiles.

Yahiko can’t wait  
To marry her and make her  
Round with his baby.

Even if it means  
Lots of sleepless nights and long  
Days, he wants children.

For now, however,  
Yahiko will dream his dreams  
And wait to make sons.


	6. A Question to Ask

**Title:** A Question to Ask  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Sanosuke Sagara/Megumi Takani  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series by Nobuhiro Watsuki  
 **Summary/Teaser:** He knows the question is right, but he wonders why her first reaction is so wrong…  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** 265

 

 

Megumi is late.  
He wonders what’s keeping her,  
But he’s not worried.

She probably just  
Had a last minute patient.  
She’ll come when she can.

He orders sake  
While he waits for her to come  
And picks at his teeth.

Megumi arrives  
Looking hot and exhausted  
And sits next to him.

She pulls her hair back,  
“Sorry to keep you waiting.  
It was a deep wound.”

“From a fight?” he asks,  
Passing her a sake cup.  
She gulps it all down.

“Kitchen accident.  
There were lots of stitches and  
Bandages,” she says.

“So what’s for dinner,  
Handsome?” she asks as she smiles  
At him tiredly.

“Anything you want,  
Kitsune-onna,” he grins.  
“How does beef stew sound?”

She leans against him.  
“Sounds good.”  Sano puts his arm  
Around her and smiles.

They eat their meal and  
Walk slowly back to her place.  
They stop at her gate.

Sano takes her hand.  
“There’s something I wanna ask,”  
He stammers, blushing.

She furrows her brow,  
Seemingly confused by him.  
“What is it?” she asks.

He touches her cheek  
And she leans into his touch.  
He knows this is right…

“Will you marry me?”  
Her dark eyes widen with shock.  
He frowns when she laughs.

“A brawler asking  
A doctor to marry him!  
It’s too suspicious!”

Sano balks. “That’s not-”  
Megumi kisses him hard,  
Leaving him breathless.

He fists her hair and  
Kisses back, not giving a  
Damn about who sees.

They part, panting. He  
Smiles and brushes her bangs back.  
“So yes, then?” he smiles.

“Of course, Sanosuke.”  
She opens the gate, tugs him  
In, kissing him more.


	7. White Plums, Crimson Snow

**Title:** White Plums, Crimson Snow  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Kenshin/Kaoru, past Kenshin/Tomoe  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series by Watsuki Nobuhiro  
 **Summary/Teaser:** The Battousai that was, the Wanderer who is- they both want a slain lover’s permission to move on.  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** 271  
  
  
The glen is too green.  
Too vibrant, too cheerful, but  
In truth, it’s not so.  
  
Kenshin remembers  
Swirling snow, steaming blood and  
Her gasped final breaths…  
  
He looks up. Yes, here.  
It was this awkward shaped tree,  
Bare and draped in ice  
  
That his eyes stared at  
As Tomoe’s blood puddled  
At his quaking feet.  
  
He still remembers  
Her eyes as she cut his face…  
He deserved to die.  
  
Shame, regret, sorrow.  
He can’t think of Tomoe  
Without feeling these.  
  
He loved her deeply.  
He never intended to  
Murder her, ever.  
  
She suffered so much.  
He’d wronged her too many times…  
He couldn’t save her.  
  
And what about him?  
His pain had only begun  
To fade some, at last.  
  
“Kenshin?” Kaoru asks.  
“We can come back another  
Time if it’s too soon…”  
  
He moves to the spot  
Where Tomoe’s blood nourished  
The snow covered soil.  
  
He sees new life there.  
Wildflowers, tiny saplings,  
And vivid green blades-  
  
Their birth from her death.  
There’s a reason this place is  
So fresh and bright now.  
  
“No, it’s not too soon.  
Everything’s going to be  
Alright, that it is.”  
  
He stands up and smiles.  
“At last, I can be at peace.”  
His heart is calm now.  
  
He takes her hand and  
Leads her out of the clearing  
Ready to go home.  
  
“Kaoru-dono,” he  
Asks, “Would you have me for a  
Husband?” He’s red faced.  
  
She touches his arm,  
Stops him on the path and says,  
“Do you have to ask?”  
  
He says a silent  
Prayer thanking Tomoe  
For her approval.  
  
The smell of white plums  
Floats on the spring breeze as he  
Embraces Kaoru.


	8. Over Due

**Title:** Over Due  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Yahiko, Sanosuke, Kenshin/Kaoru  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series by Nobuhiro Watsuki  
 **Summary/Teaser:** Yahiko asks what mistletoe is and the whole conversation spirals down a path Kenshin wasn’t sure he was ready to walk- and then finds he’s been ready all along.  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** 314  
  
  
“Hey, what’s mistletoe?”  
Yahiko’s question hangs in  
the cold winter air.  
  
Sano grins smugly.  
“It’s a plant you hang in the  
doorways of the house.  
  
When you and a girl  
get caught under it, you start  
kissing each other!”  
  
Yahiko is shocked.  
“But what if I get caught with  
Kaoru!?” he screeches.  
  
Sanosuke laughs.  “Then  
you gotta kiss her!” Deftly,  
he dodges a punch.  
  
The boy is grossed out,  
but Kenshin is daydreaming…  
A kiss from Kaoru?  
  
He imagines it.  
She would blush, he knows she would-  
but she would give in.  
  
Her lips would be soft,  
that much he is certain of.  
Warm, too… so perfect.  
  
She’d taste sweet, he thinks,  
like tea, honey and mochi-  
like things that he loves.  
  
“I bet Kenshin would  
 _love_ to get caught under it  
with the lil’ missy…”  
  
His best friend knows him  
all too well. Kenshin clears his  
throat as his face heats.  
  
“Look how red he is!”  
Yahiko crows.  “He’s thinking  
about it right now!”  
  
“Thinking about what?”  
They all three look up to find  
Kaoru standing there.  
  
Kenshin’s heart plummets  
into his stomach. Sano  
and Yahiko laugh.  
  
“I think you’d better  
invest in some mistletoe,  
missy!” Sano grins.  
  
When _her_ cheeks turn red,  
Kenshin relaxes a bit.  
She’s thought of it, too…  
  
“Jeeze, why don’t you two  
get married already?” her  
apprentice snickers.  
  
Kenshin sees their point.  
He knows Kaoru’s feelings for  
him are very strong.  
  
And he can’t deny  
that he feels very strongly  
for Kaoru as well.  
  
Why has he put off  
the inevitable with  
Kaoru for so long?  
  
Yahiko is right.  
Perhaps it’s time to marry  
her and settle down.  
  
He catches Kaoru’s  
gaze.  “Kaoru-dono, we have  
something to discuss.”  
  
Once it’s said and done,  
they plan the wedding for the  
day of Shogatsu.  
  
And the kiss she gives  
him is sweeter than he could  
have ever hoped for.


	9. A Midnight Clear

**Title:** A Midnight Clear  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Aoshi/Misao  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series by Nobuhiro Watsuki  
 **Summary/Teaser:** Aoshi discovers that all the answers he’s been searching for are right in front of him.  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Word Count:** 627  
 **Notes:** ‘Yuki-onna’, literally ‘snow woman’, is a demon/angel/spirit that appears whenever it snows according to Japanese folklore.  Think of like a mermaid on land that lures men to their death by exposure.  Sometimes the legend varies, like it’s a woman holding a child and parents searching for their children in the snow can go missing as well as the child, sometimes she blows the doors on the house open and kills the family in the night with her cold breath.  I first encountered the Yuki-onna myth in an episode of InuYasha, where she tricks Miroku into thinking he sired like 100 children by her and he goes to take up his role as father to them.  Also, ‘tenshi’ is the Japanese equivalent of an angel.  
  
  
The night is frosty.  
Stars dot the inky blackness.  
Aoshi watches her.  
  
Misao is dancing  
alone by herself, to a  
tune only she hears.  
  
He marvels at her,  
envious of her freedom  
and her easy smile.  
  
Sometimes, he still feels  
broken, like he can’t find his  
way back to the world.  
  
But then he sees her…  
It’s like his pieces could fall  
right back into place.  
  
She doesn’t know he’s  
watching her.  Now she’s singing.  
Her voice is _lovely_.  
  
His heart begins to  
race.  Is she bewitching him?  
No.  He gets it now.  
  
“Snow is drifting soft,  
piling up onto the plain,”  
she sings as she twirls.  
  
He emerges then.  
“Yuki-onna, leave me be.  
Tenshi, lead me home.”  
  
She gasps, then smiles back.  
“Aoshi-sama!  What are you  
doing here?” she asks.  
  
“Watching the tenshi,”  
he answers.  Misao blushes.  
“Will you lead me home?”  
  
She quirks an eyebrow.  
“Are you drunk, Aoshi-sama?”  
Her eyes are confused.  
  
He can’t help but grin.  
“No, I’m not.” He reaches for  
her hand.  “Come with me.”  
  
He feels the tremble  
in her touch.  “A-alright,” she  
stammers, following.  
  
They sprint up to a  
shrine, climb to the roof and look  
down on Kyoto.  
  
“Wow,” she says, panting.  
She takes his hand again.  “This  
view is beautiful.”  
  
He gazes at her  
fingers twined with his, how they  
keep him from falling…  
  
He could make it out  
of his mental hell if she  
never let him go.  
  
She is his anchor,  
his tether to the good in  
this world.  He needs her.  
  
The moonlight suits her.  
Misao’s natural beauty  
is gorgeous, stunning.  
  
For the first time, he  
wonders what it would be like  
to make love to her.  
  
The suddenness of  
that thought makes him blink.  Should he-  
 _Could he even ask?_  
  
She gives him a look  
of concern.  “Aoshi-sama…  
You alright?  What’s wrong?”  
  
Aoshi’s still learning  
to be honest with her.  “I’m  
overcome by you.”  
  
The poor girl assumes  
she’s done something wrong.  “Oh no,  
I’m sorry!” she squeaks.  
  
He shakes his head.  “Don’t  
be. I’m overcome by my  
own accord,” he says.  
  
Their eyes meet.  “Misao…  
You’re a better ninja than  
I was expecting.  
  
You’ve become deadly  
in the years we’ve been apart.”  
He squeezes her hand.  
  
She stares back at him.  
He goes on, “But what I need  
right now isn’t that.”  
  
Misao turns to him.  
“Then what can I do to help  
you, Aoshi-sama?”  
  
He answers, “I need  
an ordinary woman,  
someone for my wife.”  
  
She’s devastated.  
Her fingers let go of his.  
“Oh,” she breathes sadly.  
  
“I don’t want to ask  
you to give up your life for me,  
Misao,” he explains.  
  
“I… I understand,”  
she sulks.  The girl stands up.  “I’m  
gonna go home, then.”  
  
There’s tears in her eyes…  
“Misao, it’s not for _me_ to  
dictate.  It’s _your_ choice.”  
  
She pauses.  “My choice?”  
He nods as she turns back to  
him.  “You want… _me_ to-”  
  
“Yes.” His answer hangs  
in the cold air.  “But I  
want you to be safe.”  
  
“Which is why you want  
me to give up fighting.”  She’s  
smarter than he thought.  
  
“I want to make you  
my wife, give you children, a  
home-” she cuts him off.  
  
“Please!” she says, her hands  
splayed across his chest. “I want  
that, Aoshi-sama!”  
  
“You’d give up fighting  
to raise our children and help  
me keep our house clean?”  
  
“Only if you give  
up fighting, too,” she counters.  
“We will live in peace.”  
  
His arms wrap around  
her back and he pulls her close  
to his chest, nodding.  
  
“Peace at last, with you.”  
He chuckles.  “One more thing- no  
more Aoshi-sama.”  
  
“Of course… anata.”  
He kisses her so fiercely  
that he’s shocked himself.  
  
When at last they part,  
he thanks her for her answer.  
“Let’s go home, tenshi.”


	10. What's One More?

**Title:** What’s One More?  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Kenshin/Kaoru, tiny baby Kenji  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series by Nobuhiro Watsuki  
 **Summary/Teaser:** Kenshin notices that Kaoru is a natural mother, and suggests they have another child.  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** 260  
  
  
It was strangely warm,  
and Kenshin sat with Kenji  
looking at the stars.  
  
Kaoru was humming  
behind them as she laid out  
the bed for the night.  
  
The child in his lap  
was chewing on a string of  
amber beads, happily.  
  
“He seems quieter,  
that he does,” Kenshin says as  
he wipes Kenji’s chin.  
  
“Megumi said the  
amber helps a lot.”  Kaoru  
folds the blankets down.  
  
She reaches for their  
son.  “Last feeding for the day,  
baby,” she murmurs.  
  
Kenshin watches as  
she opens her yukata.  
Kenji latches on.  
  
His eyes slowly close  
as he suckles, content and  
drifting toward sleep.  
  
Kenshin smiles at them.  
“I’ve never seen anything  
more graceful from you.”  
  
His wife frowns at him.  
“That doesn’t say much for my  
swordsmanship, sadly.”  
  
“You’re a natural  
mother, that you are.”  He joins  
them in their futon.  
  
“Maybe we should have  
another one?” they’ve been so  
careful lately, but…  
  
He can’t read her eyes.  
They sparkle with something, though.  
At last, she replies.  
  
“Maybe next year.  He’s  
a lot of work, another  
one would be twice as much.”  
  
Ah, he could name it  
now.  It was exhaustion he  
saw behind her eyes.  
  
Apologizing,  
he says he can wait as long  
as she needs him to.  
  
“We make beautiful  
babies, that we do, Kaoru.”  
He holds them both close.  
  
“Maybe the next one  
will be a little girl,” she  
muses as she yawns.  
  
“And she will be just  
as lovely as her mother,  
that she will,” he says.  
  
The whole family  
nestles into bed, waiting  
for a good night’s rest.


	11. Rounds and Rounds

**Title:** Rounds and Rounds  
 **Author/Artist:** Sonja Jade  
 **Fandom:** Rurouni Kenshin  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Sanosuke/Megumi, Yahiko, Kenshin  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters within this story based on the series by Nobuhiro Watsuki.  
 **Summary/Teaser:** Sano enjoys the New Year's festivities with a few good friends.  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** 198  
  
  
Sanosuke is drunk.  
The room is spinning and he  
doesn't care at all.  
  
Everyone's laughing  
and dancing and singing at  
the Akebeko.  
  
Outside, fireworks  
explode into the night sky,  
painting it brightly.  
  
It's New Years again,  
and Sano always spends the  
holiday this way.  
  
Yahiko joins him  
this year. The young man doesn’t  
drink much, however.  
  
“It's a party, kid!”  
Sanosuke yells, drinking more.  
“Bottoms up!” he cries.  
  
“I'm pacing myself,”  
Yahiko insists. “I'm well  
on my way to 'drunk'.”  
  
Sano stops caring  
when Megumi arrives and  
plops down in his lap.  
  
“You'll drink with me, won't  
you?” he asks before kissing  
her mouth sloppily.  
  
“I'll do more than that  
if you're a good boy and buy  
my liquor tonight.”  
  
“Anything for my  
kitsune-onna!” He cries,  
“Another jug here!”  
  
The night wears on and  
soon all three of them are blitzed-  
too blitzed to get home.  
  
“Kenshin's is close by,”  
Yahiko slurs. “Let's ask if  
we can stay the night.”  
  
The swordsman doesn't  
seem surprised to see them and  
he invites them in.  
  
Once again, they start  
the New Year all together  
under the same roof.  
  
What a wonderful  
way to celebrate the New  
Year: with friends around.


	12. Cold Snap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenshin takes a moment to make sure the porch is safe for a little boy to play on.

Icicles creep down.  
Frozen fingers reach upward.  
Snap! Twelve more to go.

It’s clear and sparkling-  
a pure product of nature.  
It’s tossed to the ground.

It glares back at you,  
unbroken in the deep snow.  
Fragile, but deadly.

“Tou-san! Look! More snow!”  
Flakes drift past as Kenji cheers.  
This ice could kill him…

Snap! You break another.  
“That it is! Good job spotting  
it, Kenji!” you grin.

“When I get finished,  
let’s build a snow fort, okay?”  
Your son squeals; you smile.

You hope Sanosuke  
is having- snap- as much- snap-   
fun as- snap- you are.


End file.
